The Importance of Rest Days for Runners

Speedwork, long runs, and strength training are only one side of the equation to improving as a runner. Without rest days, the hard work of training can actually become detrimental – and you might find yourself injured or overtrained. As counter-intuitive as it seems, rest days are essential for runners of all abilities. If you want to run faster or run further, you must allow your body to recover from training.

Why Runners Need Rest Days

Rest days prevent injury and help you improve as a runner. Running causes microscopic tears in your muscles and a breakdown of your entire physiological system, thanks to the impact load. Additionally, running taxes your nervous system and endocrine system. A rest day allows your body to recover from this breakdown. Recovery reduces your risk of overuse injuries and stress fractures and allows your body to adapt to the training load. Rest days are essential to becoming a faster, stronger runner and achieving your goals.

Rest days provide mental benefits as well. A weekly break from training allows your mind to rest as well as your body. You will prevent burn-out from training and keep your mind fresh for your hard workouts and race day. I would also argue that a rest day maintains a sense of enjoyment in running.

Even easy runs stress the body. While stress is a desired stimulus in training, too much stress raises cortisol levels and increases the risk of overtraining. Overtraining is marked by fatigue, poor performance in workouts and races, moodiness, and loss of appetite. While overtraining differs from runner to runner and training cycle to training cycle, one of the best insurances you can take against overtraining is to include a weekly rest day.

Is It Okay to Run Everyday?

Yes, elite runners do run daily (although some, such as the 2024 Olympic Trials Marathon male champions, do take weekly rest days). However, elite runners devote a significant amount of time each day to recovery. They take naps, spend most of the day off their feet, and have access to physical therapists and masseuses. Unlike most recreational runners, they are not balancing their training stress with other stressors such as work days. Plus, most elites are genetically lucky and have a higher natural training tolerance.

If you are not an elite runner, you need to balance recovery differently. Chances are, you are not able to take naps each day and get a sports massage weekly. A weekly rest day is a prudent investment in your longevity in the sport. Since your nervous system, endocrine system, and musculoskeletal system can recover, your injury risk and overtraining risk are lower. Most running coaches do not recommend run streaks for these reasons (and more).

What to Do on Your Rest Days

You will receive the most benefits from a rest day if you truly rest from all workouts – no running, no strength training, no spin class or other cross-training. Especially if you are pushing yourself in your strength training or cross-training, you are still contributing to the muscle breakdown and not allowing your body to fully recover.

Sometimes, runners claim that they ran on their rest days because they felt energetic. Having energy is not an excuse to skip a rest day. You rest so that you can feel energetic in long-term training. Don’t make short-term tradeoffs. Additionally, feeling fatigued and tired all the time is not how running should make you feel.

Can I Walk on Rest Days From Running?

Gentle, light movement will help you feel better during and after recovery days. Gentle movement does not mean a run: take a walk, spend time foam rolling, or do meditative yoga (not vigorous yoga).

Walking can be a part of rest days – as long as the walk is not so long that you are exhausted from it. Walking is very low-impact and has lower metabolic demand than even other forms of cross-training. If you tend to feel antsy on your rest days or sluggish the day after, consider a short walk on your rest days from running.

When to Schedule Rest Days From Running

In the attempt to schedule hard workouts, long runs, easy runs, and strength training into one week, many runners sacrifice rest days. But as the great coach Jack Daniels said, rest is not the avoidance of training – it is part of training. Treat rest days as a priority in your training plan. Schedule in a day of complete rest or active rest with a light activity such as yoga or a long walk.

One weekly rest day is generally recommended, although some runners may need two rest days per week. The best day to take your rest day from running is based on both your schedule and your training response. If you have a day where time is limited, that day may be your rest day. Or, you may choose a weekend day as a rest day to spend time with family. You can also schedule rest days after your most tiring runs, such as your long run or weekly hard workout.

Final Thoughts on Rest Days from Running

You can take a rest day even when it’s not on your training plan. Illness, unusual pain/potential injury, and fatigue are all reasons to give your body extra rest. When in doubt, take a rest day – too much rest may leave you slightly under-trained, but pushing your body too hard, too often will leave you injured, overtrained, or sick.

Want more running tips? Listen to the Tread Lightly Podcast!